Mattress cover

ABSTRACT

A mattress cover is provided, the mattress cover comprising a cover fabric that forms an upper face and/or a lower face that are each dimensioned as a lying surface for a user. The cover fabric is formed having a weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric at least on an outer face thereof and comprises a honeycombed mesh structure having outwardly open recesses on the outer face thereof.

The invention relates to a mattress cover that comprises an upper face (top face) and a lower face (bottom face) and is intended to receive a mattress core.

Mattress covers that are generally known in practice are usually intended to tightly encase a rectangular mattress core, the upper face and lower face of which have a length and a width that are large compared with the height and form a lying surface for a person.

The mattress cover generally consists of a fabric region that forms the upper face and a fabric region that forms the lower face. In the case of a removable mattress cover that allows the mattress core to be inserted into the mattress cover or allows the mattress cover to be removed from the mattress core, a fastener, for example in the form of a zip fastener, is provided for this purpose, which fastener extends at least in part on the longitudinal sides and on the transverse sides when put onto the mattress core.

Depending on the embodiment of the mattress cover, the fabric regions of the upper face and lower face may be formed by individual fabric panels that form the relevant lying surface or the lower face and which are interconnected by fabric strips that form longitudinal sides and the transverse sides. Fabric strips of this kind are generally connected to the fabric panels of the upper face and lower face by means of stitched seams, it being possible for the stitched seams to be covered by an edge binding or a welting band.

In the case of mattress covers known in practice, ventilation strips consisting of a material that is highly permeable compared with the further mattress cover fabric are in addition often used on the longitudinal sides and transverse sides, since usual cover fabrics for a mattress cover usually have a low degree of air permeability and the mattress core is otherwise inadequately ventilated.

DE 10 2008 058 134 83 B3 for example discloses using warp-knitted three-dimensional spacer fabrics as the highly air-permeable material for a ventilation strip of this kind, which warp-knitted spacer fabrics have a high degree of air permeability while having relatively good stability.

DE 20 2012 005 880 U1 furthermore discloses designing a mattress cover in two parts, such that one side is formed of a viscoelastic foam, as a winter cover, and the other side is formed of warp-knitted 3D spacer fabrics, as a summer cover which, on account of the greater breathability thereof, produces a better microclimate for the sleeper.

A disadvantage in this case, however, is that warp-knitted 3D spacer fabrics are relatively stiff and inflexible, which restricts the design of the lying comfort for the sleeper.

DE 202 01 919 U1 discloses the use of a weft-knitted spacer fabric for mattress and seat covers, as well as linings having outside and inside textiles surfaces that consist of a textile that has been shrunk in a washing process, and a spacer structure therebetween, the spacing threads of which are formed, on the mutually facing inner surfaces, by knitted monofilament or multifilament threads, one or both of the external surfaces being provided with a jacquard pattern.

On account of the different structure thereof, weft-knitted spacer fabrics are more stretchable than warp-knitted spacer fabrics, with the result that a mattress cover formed having a weft-knitted spacer fabric makes it possible, in principle, to increase the comfort for a user, since said mattress cover can be formed so as to be soft, springy and to have a pleasant feel.

It has been found in practice, however, that there is a need to improve the known weft-knitted spacer fabrics with respect to the breathability and the lying comfort.

An object of the present invention may therefore be to provide for a mattress cover of the type mentioned at the outset, which cover is particularly breathable, forms a comfortable and soft lying surface, and allows for simple workability.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, by a mattress cover comprising a cover fabric that forms an upper face and/or a lower face that are each dimensioned as a lying surface for a user, in that the cover fabric is formed having a weft-knitted 3D (three-dimensional) spacer fabric at least on the outer face thereof and comprises a honeycombed mesh structure having outwardly open recesses on the outer face thereof.

The invention therefore makes use of the advantages of a weft-knitted spacer fabric which typically comprises a spacer structure having stitches of knitted monofilament or multifilament threads, and combines said advantages with the advantages of a honeycombed mesh structure that allows particularly efficient air circulation and moisture removal from the mattress.

In this case, however, the honeycombed, outwardly open recesses are advantageous not only with respect to air exchange and moisture removal as well as compensation of temperature fluctuations in general, but also allow for increased springiness which provides a user with a soft feel and in addition allows the mattress cover to be optimally adapted to the user lying thereon without said user being disturbed in the process by coarse spacing threads that are often noticeable in weft-knitted spacer fabrics.

A mattress cover of this kind can be produced in a simple manner, for example on a large circular knitting machine operating in accordance with a 3-way technique, at a high throughput over time and thus very economically.

In this case, the recesses of the mesh structure are preferably provided so as to be in a regular arrangement on the outer face of the cover fabric, an irregular arrangement, for example forming a pattern, also being conceivable, however.

The honeycombed, outwardly open recesses may be variable in terms of the geometry thereof, and thus the open cross section thereof may be round or oval or angular for example.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover fabric consisting of weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric is formed in at least two layers, having an upper layer that forms the outer face, and a preferably polyester fibrous material woven fabric layer that forms an inner layer.

In this case, the inner layer forms a smooth woven fabric layer that may also be jacquarded and provided with a pattern for example, and on which woven fabric layer the upper layer of the weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric made of textured, twisted yarn, in particular multifilament yarn, is built up outwardly.

In this case, the honeycombed recesses may extend at least substantially over the entire thickness of the upper layer, i.e. from the outer face as far as the inner layer or close thereto, in order to allow for optimum conditioning with regard to the air and moisture exchange between the two sides of the cover fabric. Moreover, the depth of the honeycombed recess increases the softness of the weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric upper layer, as a result of which an improved feel can be achieved.

If the cover fabric is formed in three layers, comprising a middle layer that is knitted to the upper layer and comprises a monofilament yarn as a filling material, stabilisation and volumisation (increase in volume) of the weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric, which volumisation is frequently desired in terms of feel, can be achieved at the same time as a high degree of air and moisture permeability. According to a preferred embodiment, the monofilament yarn may be formed of polyester, but other synthetic fibres, such as fibres formed of polyamide, are also possible therefor.

In order to provide the outwardly facing surface of the weft-knitted spacer fabric with a particularly smooth and pleasant feel, the surface surrounding the honeycombed recesses may be formed by particularly fine knitting stitches.

Tests have shown that it is particularly advantageous, with respect to comfort and micro-conditioning, for the upper layer of the weft-knitted spacer fabric to have a weight portion of cover fabric of from 50% to 70%, in particular from 55% to 60%.

In this case, the inner layer may have a weight portion of cover fabric of from 20% to 30%, in particular from 25% to 30%.

When a filling material is used, optimum results in terms of air permeability, stabilisation and volumisation were identified when the middle layer has a weight portion of cover fabric of from 10% to 20%, in particular from 15% to 20%.

In this case, the cover fabric may have a weight of from 200 g/m² to 300 g/m², as a result of which it has the required durability and is at the same time easy to handle, in terms of the weight thereof, both during production and during use.

The mattress cover may be designed so as to be the same on all faces, i.e. on the upper face, on the lower face and on the longitudinal and transverse sides that are formed when a mattress core is inserted, it also being conceivable in principle, however, for different faces of the mattress cover to also be designed differently.

Designing all the faces so as to be the same allows for particularly efficient production, the high level of breathability of the cover fabric also making it possible to omit a ventilation band on the transverse and longitudinal sides, which band is often present in known mattress covers.

In order to allow a mattress core to be inserted and removed, it is advantageous for the mattress cover to comprise a fastener, in particular a zip fastener, that is peripheral at least in part. Furthermore, in order to make it easier to handle the mattress that is covered by the mattress cover, grips may be sewn onto the mattress cover.

Further advantages and advantageous developments of the invention can be found in the claims and in the embodiment that is described schematically and with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a mattress cover that is designed according to the invention and has been put onto a mattress core;

FIG. 2 is a highly simplified plan view of a detail of an outer face of the mattress cover; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view through a region of a cover fabric of the mattress cover.

With reference to FIG. 1, a mattress cover 1 can be seen in a state when stretched over a mattress core 2, the mattress cover 1 forming, for a user sleeping thereon, a first lying surface on an upper face 3 and a second lying surface on an opposing lower face 4.

The mattress cover 1 is formed by the same cover fabric 5 all the way around, lateral transverse surfaces 6 and longitudinal surfaces 7 also transitioning seamlessly, in the present case, into the upper face 6 and lower face 7.

Deviating therefrom, however, in other embodiments the surfaces of the cover fabric 5 may also be separated by stitched seams and a welting band may optionally also be provided.

In order to insert and remove the mattress core 2, a peripheral fastener 8 in the form of a zip fastener is sewn into the mattress cover 1 on the transverse surfaces 6 and longitudinal sides 7. In addition, a plurality of grips 9 for lifting the mattress core 2, encompassed by the mattress cover 1, are provided on the lateral longitudinal surfaces 7, just one of said grips or handles 9 being shown by way of example.

As can be seen in a detail X in FIG. 1, which detail represents the entire surface of the mattress cover 1, and in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the cover fabric 5 is formed having a weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric 10 as far as the outer face 11 thereof, the cover fabric 5 having a honeycombed mesh structure having a regular, delicate arrangement of outwardly open recesses 12. In this case, the recesses 12 preferably have an oval cross section towards the outside, which cross section can be approximately 2 mm to 4 mm wide and approximately 3 mm to 5 mm long when unstretched. The widths of the weft-knitted spacer fabric 10 material projections 13 located between the mutually offset and regular recesses 12 are at least approximately the same.

In the present case, the cover fabric 5 of the mattress cover 1 is designed as a three-layer weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric comprising an upper layer 14 that forms the outer face 11 and is formed of a textured, twisted polyester multifilament yarn; a middle layer 15 that is made of a coarse polyester multifilament yarn, is knitted to the upper layer 14, jointly forms the weft-knitted spacer fabric 10 and is used as a filling material; and a layer of smooth polyester yarn that is knitted to the upper layer 14 and the middle layer 15 and forms an inner layer 16.

In this case, the upper layer 14 has a finely knitted structure 17 on the outer face 11 thereof, which structure provides the surface with a soft feel.

With regard to the thickness, in the advantageous embodiment shown, the upper layer 14 is dimensioned so as to occupy at least 70% to 80% of the total thickness of the cover fabric 5, in order make use, as far as possible, of the microclimatic advantages of the weft-knitted spacer fabric 10.

In order to allow as much air circulation as possible and optimal moisture removal at the outer face, the honeycombed recesses 12 extend substantially over the thickness of the upper layer 14 and of the middle layer 15 until adjacent to the lower layer 16 such that, as a result of the recesses 12, the cover fabric is very flexible and stretchable in the width direction. The springiness in the height direction achieves a softness which can be defined, according to the desired degree of softness, by means of the filling material of the middle layer 14.

Of course, depending on the application, the cover fabric 5 can be produced using all known methods for weft-knitting spacer fabrics on circular knitting machines, and using all known finishing methods, such as a washing, bleaching and shrinking process following the knitting process. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A mattress cover comprising: a cover fabric that forms an upper face and/or a lower face that are each dimensioned as a lying surface for a user, the cover fabric being formed having a weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric at least on an outer face thereof and comprising a honeycombed mesh structure having outwardly open recesses on the outer face thereof.
 12. The mattress cover according to claim 11, wherein the cover fabric is formed in at least two layers, from a weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric, having an upper layer that consists of textured, twisted yarn, and forms the outer face, and a layer of polyester yarn that forms an inner layer.
 13. The mattress cover according to claim 12, wherein the upper layer that consists of textured twisted multifilament yarn forms the outer face, and the layer of smooth polyester yarn forms the inner layer.
 14. The mattress cover according to claim 12, wherein the cover fabric is formed in three layers, comprising a middle layer that is knitted to the upper layer and comprises a monofilament yarn as a filling material.
 15. The mattress cover according to claim 14, wherein the monofilament yarn is formed of polyester or polyamide.
 16. The mattress cover according to claim 12, wherein the recesses extend at least substantially over a thickness of the upper layer or over a thickness of the upper layer and over a thickness of the middle layer.
 17. The mattress cover according to claim 12, wherein the upper layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 50% to 70%.
 18. The mattress cover according to claim 17, wherein the upper layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 55% to 60%.
 19. The mattress cover according to claim 12, wherein the inner layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 20% to 30%.
 20. The mattress cover according to claim 19, wherein the inner layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 25% to 30%.
 21. The mattress cover according to claim 12, wherein the middle layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 10% to 20%.
 22. The mattress cover according to claim 21, wherein the middle layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 15% to 20%.
 23. The mattress cover according to claim 11, wherein the cover fabric has a weight ranging from 250 g/m² to 300 g/m².
 24. The mattress cover according to claim 11, wherein the cover fabric is the same on all faces.
 25. The mattress cover according to claim 11, wherein said cover comprises a fastener that is peripheral at least in part and that is openable in order to insert or remove a mattress core.
 26. The mattress cover according to claim 25, wherein the fastener is a zip fastener. 